Speed should offset FSU running backs' lack of experience

TALLAHASSEE — The race took place inside an empty Doak Campbell Stadium.

Passing the time during the dog days of summer, Florida State running backs Karlos Williams and Dalvin Cook went toe-to-toe to see who back was faster.

Cook, a freshman, edged Williams, a senior, by a hair in mid-July. The video of the race was posted on a teammate's Instagram account, causing FSU fans to swoon over the speed the runners possessed. But to see the two backs, each standing at least 6-feet tall and weighing 200 pounds, breeze along the field with such explosiveness, it was clear that the winners of the race were coach Jimbo Fisher and running backs coach Jay Graham.

Williams will be FSU's featured back after a successful first year playing the position in 2013. He'll be joined by Cook, named Florida's Mr. Football this past year, and burner Mario Pender. The trio lacks significant game experience but makes up for it with raw athleticism, so much so that Fisher is calling this the Seminoles' fastest group of running backs since he arrived at FSU in 2007.

"We've had fast guys before carry the football at Florida State in the past and now we have it back here," Williams said. "Very fast group of guys, everybody can run, everybody is very explosive. Any given play can be a home-run run, it can be a 30-yard run, even a touchdown run, who knows?"

About a year ago, FSU's coaching staff was discussing what to do with Williams, a physically gifted defensive back who had yet to live up to his potential. Bruising running back James Wilder Jr. was dinged up with a shoulder injury in the season opener against Pittsburgh, leaving starter Devonta Freeman to carry the work load.

Williams hadn't panned out on defense despite his desire to play on that side of the ball like his brother Vince Williams, a linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He exhibited a knack for scoring as a kick returner, so FSU decided the time was right to push for Williams to switch to running back.

"Yeah, I'll take it," Graham said when asked if he wanted a crack at coaching the 6-foot-2, 225 specimen who ran a 40-yard dash in the 4.4s. "Sure, come on over."

On his first college carry, Williams took the ball untouched for a 65-yard touchdown. The run set the tone for a season during which he carried the ball 91 times for 730 yards (8.0 yards per carry) and 11 touchdowns, making him one of the most effective runners in the country.

Freeman and Wilder, both backs who were more apt to use their strength on inside runs, declared for the NFL Draft, opening up a spot atop the depth chart for Williams.

Behind Williams is a collection of immensely talented but unproven underclassmen. Recruiting website 247Sports.com ranked Cook (6-0, 200) the state's top prospect in the Class of 2014 and he's been clocked as FSU's fastest player, reaching 22.8 mph during a 40-yard dash, according to ESPN. Pender (5-10, 193) has drawn positive reviews from the coaching staff since arriving in Tallahassee, but the quick-cutting back has missed the past two seasons with an injury and grade issues.

"Right now [Williams] is No. 1, but Pender and Cook, you feel very comfortable putting them in the game," Fisher said. "You can do so much with them in the running game. They're true inside runners that can bounce outside."

FSU has ranked atop the top 10 teams nationally in rushing yards per attempt the past two seasons, but it has done that largely on the legs of runners who were quicker than they were fast. Growing pains are to be expected with this group's lack of experience, but the unit's pure speed should help compensate for any shortcomings.

"It's going to change the element of the game because you'll never know what run is going to break for that long one," Williams said. "We're just going to take advantage of that."